Many electronic devices, such as portable two-way radios, pagers, and their accessories, comprise electrical assemblies which may include a number of sub-assemblies, such as a housing sub-assembly, main bard sub-assembly, etc. Generally, the sub-assemblies comprise piece parts and electrical components, such as printed circuit boards, connectors, switches, and integrated circuits (IC).
In today's competitive world, quality and costs associated with manufacturing of a device are of utmost importance to the manufacturers. Generally, quality and manufacturing costs are improved by reducing the number of the sub-assemblies, and the components used in an electronic device. Reduction of piece parts and sub-assemblies reduces manufacturing complexity and cost as well as greatly enhancing the quality of the electronic device. Another advantage of reduced piece parts is the reduction of inventory costs which in turn further reduce the manufacturing costs associated with the electronic device.
Referring to FIG. 1, exploded view of an electronic device 100 which uses conventional electrical assemblies is shown. The electronic device 100 comprises a well known battery charger for a two-way portable radio manufactured by Motorola Inc. The electronic device 100 includes a housing sub-assembly 110, a main board 120, and a base plate 130. The electronic device 100 is assembled by positioning the main board 120 between the housing sub-assembly 110 and the base plate 130. Thereafter, the housing sub-assembly 110 and the base plate 130 are fastened to each other by a complementary snapping mechanism. The snapping mechanism is provided by the projections 132 and apertures (not shown) on the housing sub-assembly 110 and the base plate 130.
The main board 120 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 121 having placed thereon electrical components 122, a receptacle connector 124, and a spring connectors 126. The main board 120 carries charging circuitry of the electronic device 100. The electrical components 122 and the connectors 124 and 126 are electrically interconnected via printed circuits 128. In this arrangement, the electrical components 122 are placed utilizing well known leadless component assembly techniques, whereas the connectors 124 and 126 are hand soldered to the PC board 122.
In the assembly of the electronic device 100, the connectors 124 and 126 comprise three dimensional piece parts which due to their shape and design requirements of the electronic device 100 may not be placed on the PC board 121 by automated placement techniques, such as leadless component assembly (LCA). Therefore, the more tedious, labor intensive, and unreliable hand soldering process is utilized which not only increases the manufacturing cost but also may not meet today's rigid quality standards.